Tiller-lock.



No. 765,431. PATENTED JULY 19, 1904'.

' W. E. LEE.

TILLER LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED D30. 7. 1903.

NO MODEL. 2 sums-sum: 1.

INVENTOR' ATTORN EYJ' UNITED STATES Patented July 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

TILLER-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,431, Cated July 19, 1904-.

Application filed December 7, 1903. Serial No- 184 088 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tiller-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the improvement of tiller-locks, and has particular relation to looks for tillers of that class which are used for. steering or controlling the direction of vehicles,such as fire-department and other wagons.

The objects of my invention are to provide an improved construction of tiller-lock of this class by means of which the steering mechanism may be set and locked while a change of direction is being accomplished, thus obviating the necessity of the operator holding the tiller-shaft manually against rotation or in a fixed position, and, further, to produce certain improvements in details of construction and arrangement of parts of my device, which will be pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my device, showing the same in conjunction with the fifthwheel of a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing for the sake of clearness a portion of the curved rack-bar broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan View of the tiller-lock. Fig. 4 IS a plan view of the same with the main or upper portion of the tillersocket piece cut away. Fig. 5 is a similar plan view with the parts above the locking dogs removed. Fig. 6 is an enlarged central vertical section on line y y of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a similar sectional view on line 2 z of Fig. 3; and Fig. 8 is an under side view of the tiller-lock with the gear-wheel removed, said view corresponding in size with that shown in Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The class of tiller-locks to which my invention relates are ordinarily employed in conjunction with a tiller-shaft at the rear end portion of a ladder-truck or other vehicle.

In carrying out my invention I employ an external lock casing or body 1, the upper portion 1 of which is in the form of a cup, and the lower downwardly-extending and reduced portion of which has formed therethrough a vertical opening 2. This downwardly-extending portion l of the casing is provided with a lateral recess 4, which is designed to receive the outer end or head 5 of a horizontal supporting-bar 5, said bar 5 being secured, as indicated in Fig. 1, to the upper and fixed member of the vehicle fifth-wheel or turntable 6. lower fifth-wheel member 7 is a rack-bar 8, the curvature of said bar being parallel with the curvature of said fifth-wheel members. The inner surface of the vertical wall of the upper portion 1 of the casing is formed at regular intervals with tooth-recesses 1. EX-

tending through the opening 2 of the lower portion of the casing is the central stem or spindle9 of a circular plate 10, which bears in the cup-shaped upper portion l of said casing. The lower end portion of the spindle 9 is, as shown'in Figs. 7 and 2, made to carry a gearwheel 11, while the threaded lower end of said spindle receives a nut 12. The teeth of this gear-wheel are adapted to mesh with the teeth of the curved rack-bar 8. The plate 10 is provided with an upwardly-projecting marginal flange 13, which atopposite points is provided with upper side notches 14. The flange 13 is also provided at opposite points with elongated upper side recesses 15. The recesses 15 have secured therein through the medium of screws 16 two opposing laterallyprojecting and downwardly-extending lugs 17 of a ring-plate 17. This ring-plate is formed with a marginal upturned flange por-' tion 17", and at opposing points in the periphery of said ring-plate are formed sockets 18. The ring-plate 17 has formed at opposite points on its lower side inwardly-projecting horizontal bottom flanges 17, the latter terminating short of the center of the ring-plate and having the central portions of their flanges formed with concaved "recesses, from which recesses the inner edges of said bottom flanges incline, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, outward.

Upon the horizontal portion of the plate 10 is seated a substantially D-shaped locking-dog Supported from the rear side of the 19, the latter having formed at the center of its curved end an upwardly-projecting lug 20, the inner face of which is provided with a socket 21. Slidably supported upon the locking-dog 19 is a correspondingly-shaped, although reversed, lockingdog 22, the outwardly-curved portion of which is, as prescribed for the dog 19, provided with an upwardly projecting lug 23', which also has formed on its inner side a socket, such as is indicated at 24 in Fig. 6. One of the sockets 18 of the ring-plate 17 receives one end of a coiled spring 25, the outer end of which enters the socket 2A of the lug 28 and exerts an outward pressure upon the latter. A similar coiled spring 26 is interposed between the remaining socket 18 and the lug-socket 21.

Seated within the flange 17 of the ringplate 17 and upon the flanges 17 is the laterally-flanged portion of akey-body 27 ,this keybody, as shown, having a central upwardlyextending socket-piece 27 and a central downwardly-extending elongated key termination 27, said key termination being formed at the center of its length with a downwardly-projecting pivot 27". This pivot termination of the key enters a socket in the center of the plate 10. As indicated in the drawings, the elongated key termination 27 of thekey-body extends between the inner horizontal framebars 22 and 19 of the locking-dogs. The key-body 27, the socket of which is adapted to receive the squared end of the usual tillershaft, is held in its place through the medium of a ring-plate 28, which is secured to the ringplate flange 17 and which overlaps the flange of said key-body.

As indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, the outwardly-projecting dog-lugs 20 and 23 are adapted to enter opposite casingnotches 1 and to be normally retained in engagement therewith through the pressure of the springs 25 and 26, and the straight sides of the locking-dog are adapted to slide against the straight inner surfaces of the lugs 17 Assuming that the usual tiller-shaft is inserted within the socket projection 27 of the key-body the method of operating my device for the purpose of rotating the gear-wheel 11, changing the direction of the vehicle, 'and locking the steering mechanism in the new position is substantially as follows: The turning of the key-body 27, which is the result of turning the tiller-shaft in the usual manner, results through the partial rotation of the key extension 27 and its contact with the inner bars 22 and 19 of the'locking-dogs in said dogs being drawn inward until the lugs 20 and 23 are out of engagement with the recesses 1. The above-described operation results in the key extension 27 being turned sufficiently to produce a contact with the diagonally opposite inclined inner edges of the bottom flanges 17 of the ring-plate 17, (see Fig. 4,) and a continued rotation of the tillershaft and key-body results through said contact in a rotation of the ring-plate 17 and through the connection of the latter with the plate in a rotation of the spindle 9 and its gear-wheel 1 1. This rotation of the gear-wheel results through its engagement with the teeth of the rack 8 in a turning of the lower member 7 of the vehicle fifth-wheel, and in directing in the usual manner the Wheels of the rear truck in the new direction. WVhen a sufficient turn of the tiller shaft has been made to insure the proper change in direction of the vehicle, it will be understood that the turning of the tiller-shaft may be discontinued and the lugs and 23 permitted by pressure of the springs and 26 to enter conveniently-located recesses 1 thus locking the steering mechanism in the new position and in relieving the operator from manually holding the same until another change in direction is desired.

From this construction and operation it will be seen that a reliable and effective lock is provided for steering mechanism and that the construction and relative arrangement of the parts are such as to insure the retention of the same in operative connection.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tiller-lock, the combination with a casing having a plurality of internal tooth-recesses and means for supporting said casing from a vehicle-frame, ofa plate 10 supported in said casing, said plate having a spindle extension, means carried by said spindle for controlling the movement of the vehicle fifthwheel, spring-actuated overlapping sliding dogs within said casing and above said plate 10, a rotatable key-body comprising a socketpiece and key extension, the latter extending loosely through said dogs and a ring-plate connected with said plate 10 with which said dogs are adapted to contact when rotated.

2. In a tiller-lock, the combination with a casing having a plurality of internal recesses 1 and means for supporting said casing from a vehicle-frame, of a spindle journaled in the lower portion of said casing and means carried on said spindle for controlling the movement of the vehicle fifth-wheel, spring-actuated oppositely movable dogs arranged in said casing, said dogs having opposing lugs adapted to enter opposite casing-recesses 1, a pivoted key-body comprising a tiller-shaftreceiving socket and a key extension, the latter adapted when rotated to move said locking-dogs in opposite directions and a rotatable member connected with said spindle, said rotatable member adapted to be moved by contact with said dogs.

WILLIAM E. LEE. In presence of- O. C. SHEPHERD, A. L. PHELPS. 

